Party fights Sena Bhavan row with Marathi manoos card

The Shiv Sena has picked up the Marathi ‘manoos’ card to counter the BJP after one of its legislators Prasad Lad said they will demolish Shiv Sena Bhavan, party headquarters in Central Mumbai, if the time comes.

The sparring between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena leaders in Maharashtra has given fuel to the Uddhav Thackeray-led party to activate its cadre and strike an emotional chord with its core constituents – the middle-class Marathi population of Mumbai – ahead of the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.

BJP legislator Prasad Lad recently said they would demolish Shiv Sena Bhavan, kicking off a controversy. (HT FILE)

The Shiv Sena has picked up the Marathi ‘manoos’ card to counter the BJP after one of its legislators Prasad Lad said they will demolish Shiv Sena Bhavan, party headquarters in Central Mumbai, if the time comes. Speaking at a government event on Sunday, chief minister and Sena president Uddhav Thackeray said, “Nobody should speak the language of slapping us. Because we will give back more than what we get. We have been doing that (hitting back) and will continue to do so. We will give such a tight slap that the other person will not get back on his feet.”

Senior Sena leader and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut rejected Lad’s clarification that he expressed regret over the statement and said that such mistakes cannot be forgotten by the people of Maharashtra. “No political party in Maharashtra or their leaders, who understand the importance of pride of Marathi people, will make such statements. Marathi people have not liked the language that was used against Shiv Sena Bhavan and no political party, of any ideology, has supported this... It is fine that [he has] expressed regret, but such mistakes cannot be forgiven. Maharashtra and its people will keep this in their minds,” Raut said. “They (BJP) are training the gun against us using these [outsiders], but the BJP will have to pay a hefty price because of such people.”

Lad was in the NCP before he joined the BJP. He is now considered a close aide of opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis.

Raut said that Shiv Sena Bhavan was not just any other building but it holds the same reverence like Hutatma Chowk. “We dare them to come and attack; they will come on their feet but go with the support of [other’s] shoulder,” he said.

Political analyst pointed out that since Thackeray became the chief minister, there was some disconnect between the cadre and the top leadership. But such instances and aggressive statements from party boss have revived the “militant” nature of the party ahead of the civic polls. Surendra Jondhale, political analyst, said, “The Shiv Sena has tried to revive its aggressive posture for the forthcoming BMC elections. They are trying to show that the Sena militancy has not eroded. Uddhav’s statement during the BDD chawl programme about Marathi manoos was significant, which was backed by NCP chief Sharad Pawar in a way. Uddhav implicitly gave green signal to the cadre and leaders to talk about Marathi manoos. Uddhav’s attack on the BJP has sent message to common Shiv Sainik and they will get encouraged,” said Jondhale, former professor of political science at Mumbai University.

As the battle for Mumbai’s civic body draws near, the friction between the former allies – BJP and Sena – is expected to grow more. The BMC is controlled by the Shiv Sena for three decades now. Following the bitter breakup between the Sena and the BJP in November 2019, the BJP now intends to wrest control of the richest civic body to give a jolt to the Sena. The BJP and Sena contested the previous BMC elections independently and the former convincingly demonstrated that they are a force to reckon with, as it secured 82 seats in the 227-member BMC – a jump from 31 seats in 2012.

The Sena has used similar tactics ahead of the 2012 BMC elections when then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had made a statement that the Congress will reduce the Sena to irrelevance in state politics. The Sena then had built a narrative of who would care about the welfare of Marathi people if the Congress comes to rule the civic body.

Political analysts added that the upcoming civic election is a contest between the BJP and Shiv Sena. While BJP had won a chunk of seats in the wards from western suburbs, it can further consolidate to get more seats. The Sena is now moving towards its core ideology – Marathi manoos – to secure the voter base. This move will help the Sena counter the threat from Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), analysts said.

“The BJP is uncomfortable with this agenda, it will take refuge in Hindutva as their core constituency is Marwaris, Jains, Gujaratis and north Indians,” Jondhale said.